History C'mon! EDSELS as STOCK Cars???

So, can you two guys clear up what MAY be some urban legend about the Edsels? WHETHER the front-end ornament s were on the middle of the hood or on BOTH fenders . . . do or have your seen any evidence or su****ion that the HOLELS may have been drilled wrong from the supplier?

In other words, I'm wondering about that piece I read (last year, I think), that some Edsel hood ronament were actually attracted wrong (or with only one nut from underneath), causing them to fly off at highway speed.

 

The '58s have the single sight on the hood, '59 and '60 have them on each fender. They *should* each use 2 bolts. The "originals" on my Corsair are a mystery. They originally had 2 bolts (based off holes in the fender), but they had fallen apart eons ago. Now I have a mismatch with the Canadian pieces, but I have no idea how this relates to other Edsels.

 

The Fords had something up there too didn't they ?

 

Looks like they had a pretty similar piece there. You can't see through it though, so it doesn't look very useful for lining the car up with old ladies and squirrels.


I like the mirrors too. You can see a distant relation to the hooded Edsel mirrors there. I got a set of those off the parts car, but they are in very rough condition. They're going to need alot of love before I can pop them on the Corsair.

 

Funny how there is more Edsel talk here than there is in the Edsel group.

 

Wasn't Edsel the main proponent of installing juice brakes too? I heard that Henry was very hesitant to drop mechanical in favor of hydraulic?

 

OrGo, FRESH territory, fresher subject not discussed in a while, I guess? OR, mybe not from this angle. AnyWHO, fun discussion!!!

 

kwoodyh, Henry Ford was a single-minded guy, if you get what I mean. Somebody needs to do a COMPREHENSIVE study on him, good and bad. ALWAYS seemed to me he stuck with old trends (Model T, e.g.?)way too long, while his son Edsel was VERY progressive. Edsel pretty much single-handedly saved Lincoln from going DOWN in the Depression by coming up with the Zephyr. More on Edsel Ford later!

 

I just read a bunch of stuff about Edsel Ford. Seems he never quite got out of his fathers shadow. He was more interested in automobile design than function. Henry would worry about mechanics, and Edsel would come up with fat fenders and ***y curves. Edsel also founded Mecury.

 

or at least that's what the internet says.

 

Proximity to the Zephyrs birth makes ME think Edsel Ford had a hand in the new Merc make! Would old Henry have started a NEW MAKE during the Depression? Edsel F. basically started TWO!

 

I might ADD: Just before WWII, Edsel had the "guys" build him a "personal car" out of a Zephyr. THAT car became the BASIS for "morphing" the Zephyr into the first Lincoln Continentals after the war!

Yes, maybe he WAS more of a style-conscious guy than his nuts&bolts dad, BUT he was a "car guy" with p***ion & imagination!

 

Haven't been back on here for a little bit and there's two more pages added.

Just want to throw in that my 59' was born with a white steering wheel. Although you guys are talking about 58's having different color steering wheels for different countries, I find that hard to believe.

I have also read that there are only about 6,000 edsels left. I believe that was registered or licensed, which would mean running.

 

PoorBoyBruce, I have to agree on YOUR gut feeling here. In the EARLY days, a steering wheel was just a steering wheel. They got to be wood-grained, color celluloid (before plastics) in the late '30s & into the '40s.

BUT, by 1958, EVERYTHING was about COLOR! I, too, cannot belivee that such steering wheels were not a simple option, or at least widely available.

Myself, I am hurting for a proper green/ivory wheel for my '55 Fireflite, but the only site I saw for RESTOS just fills in the broken **** & PAINTS the right colors on. Is THAT restoration or reproduction? Not in MY book.

 

Edsel Cop Cars....

 

PoorBoyBruce, 6,000 surely is not a very healthy survival rate when they made -- what? -- somewhere around 90,000, eh? If so, Edsel survival (running/registered) would be around one-in-15?? Holy!

 

All Edsels made in Canada had a white steering wheel and column. It's a fact. It was designed to save money.

 

There are at least five or six edsels for sale on craigslist here in the twin cities. Couple of them are project wagons.

Always liked edsels and love the first couple years of the comets. Thanks Edsel!

 

Muttomatic, yeah the first Comets were clean-lined little cars, AND I think they redeem the Edsel engineers & designers (at least a bit), since they came off the Edsel drawing boards & finally got BUILT as Mercs. BUT, I saw an artist's ocncept showing the "E" in the middle of the Comet grille!

 

jimi'shemi291 do you want to restore you 55 wheel ? if its just cracked YOU can do it your self with a little patience, I used Por puddy (by Por 15) I widened the cracks and drilled little anchor holes (sorta like roots) and packed the putty in tight, then molded and smoothed it out as best I could before it dried so it would be easier to sand later, mine was a 195 Impala wheel that turned out really nice, I think counting the 4 chrome paint dividers I'm into my whole wheel about $100, you should give it a try.

edsel

 

For every one that's registered and running you'll be able to find about 10 that aren't. Most postwar car survival rates run around 10-15% on the average, the newer they are the more are out there, and certain oddballs duck the trend - Edsels seem to be around in somewhat disproportionate numbers. I had a shot at a '58 convertible a few years ago I should have grabbed - I knew where I could get the back half of a '57 Ford ragtop to provide most of the missing pieces - from the same place, just needed about a full day to cut it apart and make a path to drag it out.

 

RustyNewYorker wrote: For every one that's registered and running you'll be able to find about 10 that aren't. Most postwar car survival rates run around 10-15% on the average.

Man, THAT is a useful fact to KNOW! Gives me HOPE for finding a '56 Fireflite 330!!! I'm never gonna give up!

 

You're right and I'm sure all of these weren't counted.

 

so who has all those edsels ??

edsel

 

A guy here in Sacramento. I haven't been over there yet, but intend to go visit in the near future.

 

P-B Bruce, DOOOOD! That's ALL Edsels?!?!?! Holy cow. Man, there has to be some great stuff in there -- enough to build who-knows-HOW-many complete cars out of?

I'm glad there's in sunny California and NOT the Rust Belt where I am!

 

There's a few Edsels located here too...

BTW they are my dad's and about 20 minutes away from me.

 

Jeff, THAT is just plain AWSOME. AsI have said before, I am GLAD there are places west of the Mississippi where it doesn't get SO wet that the Vintage Tin juts rots away! Thanks for this GREAT post, bro!

(I imagine there'll be a few HAMBers PM-ing you ti find out where t talk with your dad!)

 

I found 2 Edsels this weekend just 10 blocks from my house. A '58 pacer, and a '59 Ranger.

 

Back when I was about 19 and haunting the junkyards (circa 1969), I really wanted the whole front end of na Edsel t hand up on the wall!

I couldn't find a s****yard owner willing to trash a whole front end for a sill wall ornament (at least not CHEAP!). I didn't have much dough, so I lte that ocncept RIDE!

Years later, there's a REVIVAL of interest in the Edsels and -- damn! -- if osme bar owner didn't have the same idea: A WHOLE front slice off a '58 Edsel hanigng behind the bar, up there like a trophy MOOSEhead! LOL

Well, I didn't achieve the funny ocncept, but SOMEbody did!!!